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Miserable in Michigan

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia had double-digit unemployment rates in December, according to a new government report, with Michigan’s jobless percentage still in the top spot.

Michigan’s unemployment rate stood at 14.6 percent in December, and in the Detroit-Warren-Livonia area the rate was 15.8 percent. After Michigan, the states with the next highest rates were Nevada (13.0 percent), Rhode Island (12.9 percent) and South Carolina (12.6 percent).

South Carolina, Delaware, Florida, North Carolina and the District of Columbia were each at their highest jobless rates on record.

Once again North Dakota registered the lowest jobless rate, at 4.4 percent in December, followed by Nebraska and South Dakota, at 4.7 percent each.

While every state had year-over-year increases in unemployment, only 21 states reported a statistically-significant over-the-month unemployment rate increases in December from November. Louisiana and Mississippi had the biggest month-over-month increases in unemployment rates.

Nonfarm payroll employment — measured by a survey of businesses, rather than households — increased in 11 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 39 states.

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Economics doesn't have to be complicated. It is the study of our lives — our jobs, our homes, our families and the little decisions we face every day. Here at Economix, journalists and economists analyze the news and use economics as a framework for thinking about the world. We welcome feedback, at economix@nytimes.com.